Healthy High Protein Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

This healthy chicken Caesar salad is a lighter and more nutritious take on the classic dish. It's made with a protein-rich Greek yogurt dressing, a variety of fiber-rich veggies, and chunks of juicy meaty chicken breasts. It makes for an excellent side with any meal, but it's also great all by itself as a main as well! Plus, it's so, so easy to make.

My Take on Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad

Chicken Caesar salad is probably one of the most iconic salads around. But it's often weighed down with a calorie-dense dressing that doesn't provide a ton of nutritional value. I'd even go as far as saying at most restaurants the Caesar salads are one of the highest calorie salads you can order. 

Well, that's why I love this healthy Caesar salad recipe!  It has everything you love about chicken Caesar salad: juicy seared chicken, crisp romaine lettuce, tons of shredded parmesan cheese, and best of all, an ultra creamy and savory Caesar dressing that's full of flavor. Buuuuut, it's also super low in calories. Each serving has less than 350 calories and over 30 grams of protein.

Whether you're serving it as an appetizer, side, or main dish, this healthy chicken Caesar salad is guaranteed to satisfy you - or your guests - any time of the day!

 

Joe Tip (Like A "Pro Tip" But Better)

This is one of my favorite recipes for meal prep since it's so simple to make and can be stored for most of the week. One of the best ways to do this is by preparing the Caesar dressing in advance and storing it in a mason jar - or a dressing bottle - in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks. This will save you even more time when whipping up your next salad or wrap for lunch.

Ingredients

The best part about this chicken Caesar salad recipe is how simple all the ingredients are.

Anything you don't have on hand is sure to be available at your nearest grocery store!

Anyway, here's what you'll need for the Caesar salad:

• ½ head romaine lettuce, chopped
• ½ orange bell pepper, sliced
• ½ yellow bell pepper, sliced
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

For the chicken:

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt

And for the healthy Caesar dressing:

• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsps. parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

What did I tell ya, super basic stuff right?!

By the way, even though this recipe comes with instructions for seared chicken breasts, it also works great with any cooked chicken.

I've tried it with rotisserie chicken and leftover grilled chicken, and each was equally delicious. These thinly sliced chicken breasts are also fantastic on it.

How to Make Chicken Caesar Salad

It really doesn't take much to make this salad recipe. The Caesar dressing is made in literal seconds in the blender, the chicken cooks in less than 10 minutes, and the veggies can be prepped while the chicken rests.

Overall, it only takes about 20 minutes to make this healthy chicken Caesar salad from scratch.

Sound good?

Ok, Let's not waste a second more and get right into the details.

Step One: Make the Caesar Salad Dressing

Add Greek yogurt, garlic clove, mustard, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper in a blender or food processor.

Blend until the dressing is smooth and well-combined, then pour it into a bowl or jar with a lid and store it in the fridge.

Step Two: Cook the Chicken

Place the chicken breast in a shallow dish and season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Heat some olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat, then add the seasoned chicken breast. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side or until it's fully cooked and golden brown on the outside.

Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and let it rest.

Step Three: Assemble the Salad

Now, wash and chop the romaine lettuce and add the leaves to a salad bowl. Thinly slice the bell peppers and halve the cherry tomatoes. Then, add them to the bowl with the lettuce.

Lastly, cut the chicken breast into bite-sized chunks and add them to the salad.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated and well-distributed. Finish with the grated parmesan cheese, then serve and enjoy!

How to Store Chicken Caesar Salad

This recipe makes 2 servings of healthy Caesar salad and can easily be doubled or tripled for a larger group.

If you're making it with leftovers in mind, I recommend storing the dressing, cooked chicken, and prepped veggies in separate airtight containers. They'll stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days.

The chicken can also be prepped ahead of time and frozen in a freezer-safe airtight container. You can do this with cooked chicken or raw chicken breasts covered in the seasoning mix. Both will store for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Final Thoughts

Well, that's how you make the best healthy chicken Caesar salad!

This satisfying salad is just as good - maybe even better - than any salad you could get from a restaurant. Between the fresh veggies, juicy chicken, flourish of parmesan cheese, and the flavorful Caesar dressing, there's just so much to love about it. It's been one of my absolute favorite high protein lunches to make for my wife and I lately.

With all that being said, I hope you enjoy this healthy chicken Caesar salad recipe as much as we do!

As always, if you make it, leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

More Healthy Salad Recipes

For even more delicious and healthy salad recipes like this one, look no further than these popular ones from the blog:

• High protein cottage cheese egg salad
• Big Mac salad
• La Scala chopped salad
• Keto Cobb salad

You can find even more great stuff on my Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube pages! I post new recipes on there all of the time.